2. The number of continents. (If this makes sense for your map)10 continents - 5 for each side

I have switched Hussein of Mecca territories to the Allied side after finding out that the Arab Revolt lead by Hussein and Lawrence of Arabia was in part responsible for the defeat and downfall of the Ottoman Empire.There is a whole history in this diplomacy and why Hussein fought with the Allies.

CollapseIn 1908 the Young Turk movement, a reformist and strongly nationalist group, with many adherents in the army, forced the restoration of the constitution of 1876, and in 1909 the parliament deposed the sultan and put Muhammad V on the throne. In the two successive Balkan Wars (1912–13), Turkey lost nearly its entire territory in Europe to Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and newly independent Albania. The nationalism of the Young Turks, whose leader Enver Pasha gained virtual dictatorial power by a coup in 1913, antagonized the remaining minorities in the empire.

The outbreak of World War I found Turkey lined up with the Central Powers. Although Turkish troops succeeded against the Allies in the Gallipoli campaign (1915), Arabia rose against Turkish rule, and British forces occupied (1917) Baghdad and Jerusalem. In 1918, Turkish resistance collapsed in Asia and Europe. An armistice was concluded in October, and the Ottoman Empire came to an end. The Treaty of Sèvres (see Sèvres, Treaty of) confirmed its dissolution. With the victory of the Turkish nationalists, who had refused to accept the peace terms and overthrew the sultan in 1922, modern Turkey's history began.

The Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers in October-November 1914, threatening Russia's Caucasian territories and Britain's communications with India and the East via the Suez canal. British action opened another front in the South with the Gallipoli (1915) and Mesopotamia campaigns. Initially the Turks were successful in repelling enemy incursion.

But in Mesopotamia, after the disastrous Siege of Kut (1915-16), the British reorganized and captured Baghdad in March 1917. Further to the west in Palestine, initial British failures were overcome with Jerusalem being captured in December 1917 and the Egyptian Expeditionary Force going on to break the Ottoman forces at the Battle of Megiddo (September 1918).

Enver Pasha, supreme commander of the Turkish armed forces, was a very ambitious man, with a dream to conquer central Asia. He was not a practical soldier. He launched an offensive with 100,000 troops against the Russians in the Caucasus in December of 1914. Insisting on a frontal attack against Russian positions in the mountains in the heart of winter, Enver lost 86% of his force.

A new Russian commander on the front in the fall of 1915, Grand Duke Nicholas, brought new vigor. A major offensive in 1916 drove the Turks out of much of present-day Armenia, and tragically provided a context for the deportation and massacre of the Armenian population in eastern Anatolia. With control of part of the southern Black Sea coast, Nicholas pushed forward the construction of railway lines to bring up supplies.

Baghdad Railway, railroad of international importance linking Europe with Asia Minor and the Middle East. The line runs from Istanbul, Turkey, to Basra, Iraq; it connected what were distant regions of the Ottoman Empire. The railroad was initially financed chiefly by German capital; its Anatolian sections were completed in 1896. The ambitious project was then formed to extend the railroad to Baghdad, and a company, again backed chiefly by German capital, was organized for the purpose. Immediate protests were made to Turkey by France, Russia, and, particularly, Great Britain, which saw in the projected line a direct threat to its empire in India. Operations were held up for several years by these international representations and by engineering difficulties, but in 1911 work was resumed. By playing on imperialistic rivalries, the construction of the railroad was a factor in bringing about World War I. By the end of the war only a stretch between Mosul and Samarra remained to be completed on the main line, which Syria and Iraq later undertook and finished.

The map is exceptionally pretty. But since I feel forced to make some form of criticism (only possibly constructive) the bubble thing is strange. Looks fine on the left but is it absolutely necessary for it to be bubbled on the top right as well? I personally think it might look better without it.

1) are your plans to keep the map graphics simple / vector looking? My vote is yes. The map looks small and could be a little cramped. I would suggest keeping the map simple, and the surrounding graphics dressed up.

2) The Vilayet "V" territories could stand out a little more since they do form a bonus region. I mean I can see them because of the V, and the slightly different color shade - but it's kind of hard to differentiate between them on my monitor. I also think you don't need the "V" and the "V is a Viayent" blurb in the legend - just use a more distinguishable color.

3) Is there a way you would split up the light green Anatolia into 2 smaller bonus regions? It's an enormous region right now that I don't think anyone has a chance of holding for the +8 bonus.

4) I think the metal plaques that the legend is on could be a little better. I like the idea, but could use a little refinement.

5) I don't care for the title. Looks like you just picked a font and added a big outer bevel.

6) The circle that holds the actual map bothers me. I know it's egg shaped because of the regions included on the map, but I would prefer a little symmetry.

Well, this is my 23rd or 24tf map, so i think something has to come easy after a while

The map is exceptionally pretty. But since I feel forced to make some form of criticism (only possibly constructive) the bubble thing is strange. Looks fine on the left but is it absolutely necessary for it to be bubbled on the top right as well? I personally think it might look better without it.

i can look into that for you, as this is a draft, expect changes of course.

1) are your plans to keep the map graphics simple / vector looking? My vote is yes. The map looks small and could be a little cramped. I would suggest keeping the map simple, and the surrounding graphics dressed up.

Agreed

2) The Vilayet "V" territories could stand out a little more since they do form a bonus region. I mean I can see them because of the V, and the slightly different color shade - but it's kind of hard to differentiate between them on my monitor. I also think you don't need the "V" and the "V is a Viayent" blurb in the legend - just use a more distinguishable color.

yes i think they need a different colour. the Vilayet blurb will stay for a while until people understand what it is, and probably toward the final version i'll drop it.

3) Is there a way you would split up the light green Anatolia into 2 smaller bonus regions? It's an enormous region right now that I don't think anyone has a chance of holding for the +8 bonus.

Most certainly is.

4) I think the metal plaques that the legend is on could be a little better. I like the idea, but could use a little refinement.

5) I don't care for the title. Looks like you just picked a font and added a big outer bevel.

6) The circle that holds the actual map bothers me. I know it's egg shaped because of the regions included on the map, but I would prefer a little symmetry.

Buttt... excellent first draft (as usual).

Whole area is up for grabs anyway...you know me and my map production. Thanks.

Paddy The Cat wrote:just want to say keep working on this one cairns! youre maps always coem out amazing, and this one is looking good, except that maybe the territory area are cramped

Mmmm. Turkey is only small country, and i have already combined some of the administrative regsions.The Middle East on the other hand is quite large and mostly desert.The map is true to scale, so i might have to distort it a bit. I'll see what i can do.

qwert wrote:Turkey look crampy,but yours dimension is 550px,so these mean that you can create to be bigger(80px extra free).I must say that these is complete diferent then mine Europe 1914.

I'm in the process of working on that now Qwert.And of course it's going to be different...we're too different cartographers, but that's why i chose Asian minor and Africa for my WWI maps, so you could have Europe.

I'm in the process of working on that now Qwert.And of course it's going to be different...we're too different cartographers, but that's why i chose Asian minor and Africa for my WWI maps, so you could have Europe.

Thank you so much,i belive that people will learn something from these part of WWI.

I'm in the process of working on that now Qwert.And of course it's going to be different...we're too different cartographers, but that's why i chose Asian minor and Africa for my WWI maps, so you could have Europe.

Thank you so much,i belive that people will learn something from these part of WWI.

Yes, indeed. and particularly if we go into some of the localised battles.

the east anatolia color could be changed a little more, its still pretty similar to the other bonus...

the title looks good

legend could use some reworking, the names of the continents look too light on that very shiny silverish background... maybe a darker border around those letters or just darken the letters overall.

i am still not a fan of the background color, but ultimately i could live with it

the playable area is a bit tight, and i think you could shave off like 4 or 5 pixels off of the left side of the map, push british egypt's name and circle a little right, then stretch out the right some more to give it more room. if you don't understand, just say and maybe i can explain it a little better

the east anatolia color could be changed a little more, its still pretty similar to the other bonus...

the title looks good

Good

legend could use some reworking, the names of the continents look too light on that very shiny silverish background... maybe a darker border around those letters or just darken the letters overall.

i am still not a fan of the background color, but ultimately i could live with it

all that will change, but one step at a time eh?!

the playable area is a bit tight, and i think you could shave off like 4 or 5 pixels off of the left side of the map, push british egypt's name and circle a little right, then stretch out the right some more to give it more room. if you don't understand, just say and maybe i can explain it a little better

I am not going to distort the map any further. I will adjust the rim of the legend, but those terts for egypt etc are where they are supposed to be. it's simply a case of africa being much larger than the middle east and because of the size of the terts, they are going to look more spacious obviously.i really can't see where you're coming from saying that the playing area is a bot tight. this is the small map.

yeah, i know what you're saying about africa looking much bigger... its just so top heavy with all the stuff in middle east that i want the map to come in at a different angle... kinda like that picture that someone put up for the brazil competition, showing europe from the ussr remember? that might make the dense area of middle east a little less cramped?